January 2023 Newsletter (no. 70)

Her Majesty The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on 8 September 2022. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales succeeded to the throne. His Majesty’s title in the United Kingdom, and in the other territories for whose foreign relations his Government in the United Kingdom is responsible, is Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge succeeded to the titles of Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, and Lord of the Isles, and to the office of Great Steward of Scotland.

On 9 September, the Earl Marshal issued an Order for General Mourning. Later that day he was received in audience by His Majesty The King.

On 10 September, an Accession Council assembled at Saint James’s Palace, of which the Earl Marshal and David White, Garter King of Arms, were members. The Council approved the text of an Accession Proclamation, which was signed by the Councillors, and ordered it to be sealed with the Great Seal of the Realm. The Council then ordered ‘that the Kings of Arms, Heralds and Pursuivants do attend at the Court at St. James’s to proceed with the usual ceremonies to proclaim His Majesty King Charles the Third’. At 11 a.m., Garter King of Arms, with the other Officers of Arms in attendance, proclaimed His Majesty’s accession at Saint James’s Palace. At noon, Timothy Duke, Clarenceux King of Arms, again attended by the other Officers of Arms, proclaimed His Majesty’s accession at the Royal Exchange in the City of London. At noon on 11 September, His Majesty’s accession was proclaimed by Robert Noel, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, at Hillsborough Castle, and by the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Morfudd Meredith and Thomas Lloyd, Wales Herald, at Cardiff Castle. At 12.30 p.m. Phillip O’Shea, New Zealand Herald, proclaimed His Majesty’s accession at Parliament House, Wellington.

On 14 September, the Officers of Arms had the honour of preceding Her late Majesty’s coffin into Westminster Hall, and remained in attendance during the service conducted by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury and the initial period of lying-in-state.

On 16 September, Wales Herald was in attendance upon His Majesty The King during his visit to the Welsh Parliament.

On 18 September, His Majesty The King invested the Earl Marshal with the insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, an honour which The late Queen had conferred upon him on 2 June.

On 19 September, the Officers of Arms took part in the procession of Her late Majesty’s coffin from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, the State Funeral at Westminster Abbey, the procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, the procession from the Long Walk at Windsor to Saint George’s Chapel, and the Committal Service at Saint George’s Chapel. At the conclusion of the Committal Service, Garter King of Arms recited the styles and titles of Her late Majesty:

‘Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

Let us humbly beseech Almighty God to bless with long life, health and honour, and all worldly happiness the Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, our Sovereign Lord, Charles the Third, now, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of his other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.'

The funeral processions in London and Windsor were marshalled by the Earl Marshal, assisted by Purple Staff Officers from the Guards Division. Purple staves are traditionally carried at the funeral of the monarch; purple being a royal mourning colour.

On 26 September, New Zealand Herald recited the styles and titles of Her late Majesty as Queen of New Zealand at the State Memorial Service at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Wellington.

News

Charles III Cypher compressed On 27 September, with the end of Royal Mourning, His Majesty’s Royal Cypher came into use. Garter King of Arms was present in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace to oversee the first use of the new postal frank. Designed by Timothy Noad, Herald-Painter of the College of Arms, and approved by The King, the Cypher features the text CIIIR beneath the Royal Crown, depicted in the style customarily described as the Tudor Crown. A version of the cypher for use in Scotland, ensigned by the Crown of Scotland, has also come into use. Further information about the Royal Cypher may be found here.

On 7 November, Her Majesty’s Royal Cypher came into use. Designed by Ewan Clayton and Timothy Noad, it features the text CR beneath the Royal Crown. Queen Camilla cypher colour cropped

Generations of Officers of Arms served Her Majesty The Queen during her seventy-year reign, and were honoured by expressions of her concern and support for the College. In 1947, the then Princess Elizabeth’s 21st birthday speech, where she stated that ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service’ was written by Dermot Morrah, Arundel Herald. In 1954, after war damage had left the College building in a serious condition, Her Majesty made a generous personal donation to the College of Arms Repairs Fund. In 1962, Her Majesty’s Private Secretary wrote to Garter King of Arms that:

‘For her own part, Her Majesty would not have you think that the admirable work of Garter and the other Officers of Arms, on such occasions as the Garter Service and the Opening of Parliament, passed either unnoticed or unvalued. She is very sensible of the contribution which the College of Arms makes in maintaining the dignity and the high standard of these ceremonies which may be taken for granted by the British Public, but which is certainly the admiration of the visitors from the Commonwealth and from foreign countries. She hopes that at the end of your first year you will tell your colleagues – and if I may say so ours – in the College of her unabated confidence in and gratitude for their services’. On 15 November 1984, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited the College of Arms to celebrate the quincentenary of its incorporation.

Coronation: Those with claims to perform certain roles or services at the forthcoming Coronation are asked to submit their claims to the Coronation Claims Office by 5.30 p.m. on 3 February. Further information may be found here.

Recent Grants of Arms

Grants by Her Majesty The Queen

While the majority of grants of arms are made by the Kings of Arms as the Sovereign’s lieutenants, the Sovereign personally grants arms to Realms and Territories and to members of the Royal Family.

Falklands6 The first such grant by Her Majesty The Queen was that made to the Dependencies of the Falkland Islands on 11 March 1952 (these arms are today used by the British Antarctic Territory) [College reference: I.81/318]:

Arms: Per Fesse wavy barry wavy of six Argent and Azure and Argent on a Pile Gules a Torch enflamed proper.

Supporters: On the dexter side a Lion Or and on the sinister side an Emperor Penguin proper.

Motto: Research and Discovery

The penultimate grant made by Her Majesty was to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. On 27 November 1990, The Queen had granted it the following arms: Argent in base the Sea of Turquoise hue in chief three natural Dolphins embowed and leaping in a circle each tinctured Orange-Gold the Shield garnished of Gold. At Sandringham on the 30th January 2020, The Queen further granted a Crest and Supporters to the territory:

Crest: An Eel (Anguilla Anguilla) haurient proper crowned with an Ancient Crown Or.

Supporters: Dexter An Anguillan Fisherman proper wearing trousers rolled up to the knee Azure with a cloth waistband Or holding with his dexter hand a Strap Sable suspended therefrom by the mouth two pot fish namely a Jack Fish and a Red Snapper proper Sinister An Anguillan Woman vested in an ankle and wrist length Robe and Head Wrap Azure thereover an Apron Argent the lower hem and tied round the waist with an Orange-Gold band holding by the Stalk a Maize Plant leaved Vert fructed proper.

Sark flag The final grant made by Her Majesty was that of a flag to Sark, an island comprising part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Acting in response to a petition from the Seigneur of Sark, Major Christopher Beaumont, The Queen granted the following flag to Sark on 4 June 2020 at Windsor:

Flag: Argent a Cross Gules and in the Canton Gules two Lions passant guardant Or.

Appearances

Accession Proclamation: Clive Cheesman, Richmond Herald, appeared on ITV News to discuss the history of the accession proclamation.

New England Historic Genealogical Society: On 12 October Peter O'Donoghue, York Herald, spoke at this leading genealogical society in Boston, Massachusetts, on the subject of 'Heraldry and the Heralds'.

Publications

King Henry V: On 25 October, hosted by the Dean of Westminster at Westminster Abbey, Anne Curry, Arundel Herald, and Susan Jenkins, launched their book, The Funeral Achievements of Henry V at Westminster Abbey. Coinciding with the 600th anniversary of Henry V’s death, it provides a comprehensive study of the King’s remarkable tomb and chapel. On 8 November, an evensong was held at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the King’s burial, with Arundel and other Officers of Arms present.

April 2023 Newsletter (no. 71) »